Bidwell's Bar (also known as Bidwell Bar, and Bidwells Bar) was a

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

mining camp in Butte County,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, which lay at the end of the California Trail. It was located east-northeast of Oroville, at an elevation of 902 feet (275 m).

History

It was founded by

John Bidwell John Bidwell (August 5, 1819 – April 4, 1900), known in Spanish as Don Juan Bidwell, was a Californian pioneer, politician, and soldier. Bidwell is known as the founder the city of Chico, California. Born in New York, he emigrated at the age of ...

, who discovered gold near the Middle Fork of the

Feather River The Feather River is the principal tributary of the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento Valley of Northern California. The river's main stem is about long. Its length to its most distant headwater tributary is just over . The main stem Feather ...

on July 4, 1848. Bidwell carried on a barter trade with local Native Americans, trading foodstuffs for the yellow rock which was of no particular value to the Native Americans. As word of the gold discovery got out, a mining camp arose. By 1853, the camp had attracted enough miners to warrant a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional ser ...

, and the town's population swelled to 2,000, becoming prominent enough to become the county seat. A fire destroyed much of the town in 1854, but it was quickly rebuilt. By the late 1850s, Bidwell's Bar was served by Whiting's Dog Express, a dog-sled service which used trained canines to deliver mail and supplies to various mining camps. Living in Bidwell's Bar was rough. Many people lived in tents, and fleas were plentiful. A visitor in the 1850s described the place as a "rag city" and devoid of suitable accommodations. Ferrying people and supplies across the river proved to be difficult, especially during the winter months, and funds were raised to construct the

Bidwell Bar Bridge The Bidwell Bar Bridge, in Oroville, California, refers to two suspension bridges that cross different parts of Lake Oroville. The original Bidwell Bar Bridge was the first steel suspension bridge in California. The $35,000, original was complete ...

, the first suspension bridge west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

. The first bridge was destroyed in an 1852 flood, but the new bridge was completed in 1856. A post office operated from 1853 to 1900, with a brief closure in 1864 to 1865.

Decline and depopulation

Mining reached its peak in 1856-1857. However, as quickly as the town rose, it went into decline. By the end of 1856, the year the bridge was completed, the gold disappeared and the ''San Francisco Bulletin'' called it "Another Deserted Village." Miners were instead going to nearby Ophir (now Oroville). The county seat moved in 1856. Within a year, the population was down to 200, and by 1882, only 30 people remained. The last remnants of the town were submerged with the creation of

Lake Oroville Lake Oroville is a reservoir formed by the Oroville Dam impounding the Feather River, located in Butte County, northern California. The lake is situated northeast of the city of Oroville, within the Lake Oroville State Recreation Area, in th ...

in 1968, and only the original bridge and the clock tower (in Butte County Historical Museum) are left. Another survivor of the town is the

Mother Orange Tree The Mother Orange Tree is the oldest living orange tree in Northern California. The California Historical Landmark is located at 400 Glen Drive in Oroville, California. History Originally planted in Bidwell's Bar near the Bidwell Bar Bridge, th ...

, the first

orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

tree in Northern California.

Status as historic landmark

The site was later declared a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meeting at least one of ...

References

External links

* * {{California Gold Rush Former settlements in Butte County, California Mining communities of the California Gold Rush Ghost towns in California California Historical Landmarks California Trail Former county seats in California Populated places established in 1848 1848 establishments in California